title: Deficit in speech development at the age of 5 years predicts alexithymia in late-adolescent males.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Assessment of the etiology of alexithymia is in most studies hindered by recall bias. The aim of the present study was to assess the significance of individual developmental factors at the age of 5 years for alexithymia in late adolescence. By using data from a child welfare center check-up at the age of 5 years, it was possible to avoid recall bias.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 723 subjects who were comprehensively examined at the age of 5 years at a child welfare center where their state of health and verbal, gross motor, visuomotor, socioemotional, and cognitive development were assessed. In late adolescence (mean age, 19 years) their alexithymic features were measured using the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In females, none of the developmental factors remained associated with later alexithymic features in the multivariate analyses. However, in males, emphasis on the variables measuring speech development was important. In particular, a variable measuring the ability to comply with multipart instructions, thus receptive language skills, was strongly related with alexithymic features in late adolescence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that speech development is a significant factor in the developmental process of alexithymia, at least in males. It is possible that children who have impaired language skills and therefore struggle in social situations have a higher risk of developing alexithymia. This emphasizes the need for further research to assess how the inadequate speech development predisposes to the emergence of alexithymic features and whether it is a sex-specific phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Turku, Finland. max.karukivi@utu.fi
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karukivi
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joukamaa
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hautala
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kaleva
authors.forename: Kirsi-Maria
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Haapasalo-Pesu
authors.forename: Pirjo-Riitta
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Liuksila
authors.forename: Simo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saarijärvi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult